Odisha bishops establish ‘Martyrs’ Day’

The bishops of the east Indian state of Odisha, formerly known as Orissa, have unanimously decided to establish a “martyrs’ day” to commemorate the nearly 100 Christians who were murdered in the 2008 anti-Christian pogrom that drove 56,000 from their homes.
“The exact date will be decided in accordance with the victims’ families,” Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar told the Fides news agency. “We intend to give them deep consolation, perpetuating the memory of their loved ones and recognizing them as martyrs.”